While I was studying at KEA, I enrolled in an Editorial Writing and Photography course. I've learned exciting theories and methods of storytelling using words and photography. The course was designed to improve the creative content skills of Brand Design students, by focusing on developing written and photographic content for a variety of magazine genres.
The magazine I chose was an art and indie genre about human truths, creating a space for the reader's individual emotions. I wanted to allow the reader to discover and redefine their own emotions through inspiring content. What emotion? In a turbulent year (the Pandemic of 2021), I focused on the positive. Therefore I decided to choose happiness in the first edition.
Reader profile
The audience would typically be 25+ and not bound by culture, class, or race. Curious minds, looking for a challenge and inspiring words, wanting to widen their knowledge and perceptions, but who also appreciate the small things in life.
The audience would typically be 25+ and not bound by culture, class, or race. Curious minds, looking for a challenge and inspiring words, wanting to widen their knowledge and perceptions, but who also appreciate the small things in life.
Keywords
Idealistic, honest, curious
Idealistic, honest, curious
The past, the present, and the future are holding hands
The hook: When asked what day it is today, my grandmother used to say, "Today is now, but it could very well be yesterday or tomorrow." As we grow older, days become very much alike and repetitive, and we often feel that time flies faster and faster. This change in the perception of time is well-documented by psychologists. As it turns out, the explanation is very simple: when we are young, each second of actual time is packed with many more mental images than when we get older, and these multitudes of images make time seem to pass more slowly.
Elaboration: My most vivid and happiest memories are from my childhood. Imagine, if you will, times spent together with my grandparents—wise and calm dear people with hearts filled with warmth and love. They passed away some time ago, but the life stories and the values that they always tried to provide are still present. Spending time with them taught me to be respectful and patient, ambitious and driven, but also to appreciate the simplest things in life. Even today, nothing puts a smile on my face and relaxes me more than a warm hug.
Elaboration: Today, I am an adult myself, and I have my own family. We live quite far from our extended family, and although we try to keep in contact and talk as often as possible, sometimes the distance painfully casts a cloud on our relations and memories. So, after the long year of 2020 that kept us in isolation with just ourselves and our feelings, a year that emphasized the need for human connections, my family and I decided it was time for a change. We packed our bags and set off to stay for a while with my parents-in-law, my child's grandparents.
Point of no return: It had been one and a half years since all of us had gotten together. Nervous with excitement and desperate to see them, we landed on a bright spring day at the beginning of March. My parents-in-law live in a big house surrounded by a beautiful garden, where three cats and a dog freely roam. That was the perfect setting for our most desired vacation during the pandemic—a chance to give my child the freedom to run around and explore in the fresh air.
Escalation: I love my parents-in-law. They are very active and always positive, especially my mother-in-law. When she laughs, it's like the whole world laughs with her. Since it was spring, it was time for gardening around the house. The fresh soil spread an earthy and refreshing smell. Everyone got involved, and it was fascinating to watch my son get wet and dirty. They worked side by side, serious and focused. I observed with interest as their contrasting hands interacted with each other, sometimes complementing each other, sometimes getting in the way and interrupting the flow. It was as if the present and the future were dancing together, and the wrinkled hands were carefully guiding the path to the future self. Seeds were planted, water was poured, days were passing, and we all waited for the miracle. I am no gardener, but planting seeds and watching things grow brings me so much joy. It's all part of the fun and makes you appreciate every part of the journey, from tiny seeds to full-grown plants.
Climax: There seems to be a special kind of relationship between a grandparent and their grandchild. There is nothing quite like it. My boy is just at the beginning of his life, and sometimes I wonder how he will grow up as an adult. What driving forces will shape him? Will he be ambitious and driven? Will he be loving and patient, just like his grandparents? As I observed the grandparents and grandchild working and playing together, I tried to capture the often-overlooked details of simple love, connection, and happiness. Harmony and love were always present. They had no expectations; they simply enjoyed being together with unconditional love and joy in one another's existence.
Resolution: During those days, we all missed the power of a hug—the warmth, happiness, and relaxation it brings, the ability to make a much-needed connection with another human being. It was in those moments with our family that I realized we had made the right decision to stay with them for a while, that the life we had chosen was the right one for all of us, and everyone was happy. The past, the present, and the future were holding hands once again.
